European heavy plate round-up: Italian re-rollers give discounts for plate
Domestic heavy plate prices declined in Italy in the week to 17 July as re-rollers made last attempts to fill their order books.
Activity started to slow down as the market entered the traditionally quiet second half of the summer, and the impact of the new, tougher steel import quotas was limited in the plate market, sources said. As a result, EU mills did not attempt to achieve price increases, except for a marginal price recovery in Germany.
“The demand is too low, even with lower import volumes, to support price increases for this commodity. We will see if re-rollers will be able to sell more volumes in Southern Europe due to lower import volumes,” a distributor said.
Deals for s235jr-grade plate in Italy were reported at EUR700-720/t ex-works. The aggressive pricing policy of some re-rollers and lower import slab prices have created a generally negative sentiment in the market.
Import slab offers have been heard from Asia at $560-570/t CIF Italy, and re-rollers expect to be able to achieve additional discounts of around $20/t.
In addition, some sources suggested that Russian exporters could return with their semi-finished steel products, with deliveries starting in October due to the start of the new quota period, giving an advantage to plate producers using the cheaper material as feedstock.
In Germany, domestic s235jr plate prices have been heard at EUR800-830/t ex-works.
A producer from the Czech Republic has been offering s355jr plate at EUR810/t delivered Germany.
| Weekly European heavy plate, slab and green steel | |||||
| Unit | Term | 17-Jul-26 | Change | ||
| Weekly heavy plate | |||||
| Northwest Europe ex-works heavy plate | EUR/t | EX-WORKS | 810.00 | 10.00 | |
| Germany delivered heavy plate (Northwest Europe) | EUR/t | DEL | 830.00 | 0.00 | |
| Italy ex-works heavy plate | EUR/t | EX-WORKS | 710.00 | -5.00 | |
| Weekly steel slab | |||||
| Italy CFR slab | $/t | CFR | 560.00 | -15.00 | |
| Weekly green steel | |||||
| Green heavy plate premium (scopes 1-3 CO2 under 1t) | EUR/t | 25.00 | 0.00 | ||
Author: Maria Tanatar
Thyssenkrupp cuts output on Rhine supply disruption
German steelmaker Thyssenkrupp has reduced steel output at its Duisburg plant after low water levels on the river Rhine disrupted raw material supplies, a company spokesperson confirmed to McCloskey on 15 July.
The extent of the cuts were not disclosed though the disruption has not affected steel product deliveries, according to both the steelmaker and German buyers.
“The persistent and worsening low-water situation on the Rhine is now affecting the supply of raw materials to Thyssenkrupp Steel’s Duisburg site,” the spokesperson said. “The current development is leading to constraints in our raw material supply. We have therefore already adjusted our hot metal production accordingly. Customer supply is currently not at risk.”
The steelmaker has taken its own push-barge fleet out of service and switched to externally chartered vessels, which can continue operating because of their lower draft under the current water-level conditions.
Market sources said the low water levels are creating logistical constraints because not all vessels can operate, while those that remain in service cannot always sail at full capacity. Raw material deliveries are more exposed to river transport disruptions, whereas most finished steel products are transported by road or rail.
Although steel deliveries have not been affected, the disruption has further supported bullish sentiment in the European flat steel market.
Domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices in Northwest Europe have already increased by around EUR20/t over the past week, due to the impact of the EU’s new import quota system, which has significantly reduced access to overseas material.
McCloskey assessed domestic HRC prices at EUR710/t ex-works Northwest Europe on 10 July.
“This is a typical narrative from the mills to support price increases, like the issues with the railway companies reported in June. These narratives have some truth in them,” a German distributor said.
In June, German steelmakers reported severe raw material supply disruptions caused by a combination of persistent rail freight congestion and strict loading restrictions on the Rhine.
Author: Benjamin Steven